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May 26, 2019

I stand, corrected

I stand, corrected

Passage: Matthew 7:1-6

Speaker: Patrick Lafferty

Series: The Highest Good

The present looks on the past as a world full of judgmental folk. The past might look on the present as a world full of people indiscriminately yelling, “hey, don’t judge.” Set aside the question of who’s on the so-called right side of history--what posture is on the right side of Jesus?

Order of Worship

Pre-Service Text: Psalm 50:6
Call To Worship: 1 Chronicles 16:28-29
Old Testament Reading: 2 Samuel 12:1-15
Sermon Title: I stand, corrected
Central Text: Matthew 7:1-6
Benediction: 2 Corinthians 13:11
Post-Service Text: James 2:12-13

05.26.19 Sermon Notes

Scriptures & Readings

Pre-Service Text: Psalm 50:6
The heavens declare his righteousness,
for God himself is judge!

Call To Worship: 1 Chronicles 16:28-29
LEADER: Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!

PEOPLE: Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come before him!

ALL: Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness

Old Testament Reading: 2 Samuel 12:1-15
1 And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds, 3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. 4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”
5 Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, 6 and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”
7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. 8 And I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. 9 Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11 Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” 13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.” 15 Then Nathan went to his house.

Central Text: Matthew 7:1-6
Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

“Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

Benediction: 2 Corinthians 13:11
11 Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

Post-Service Text: James 2:12-13
12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Related Scriptures:

  • Psalm 141:5
  • Matthew 7:15-20; 10:11-15; 18:15-20
  • Matthew 18:21-35
  • James 2:12-13, 4:11-12

Discussion Questions & Applications:

  1. What’s a memorable time you were ever corrected? What was it for? How’d you react? Was the correction valid or not?
  2. Are you more likely to have to apologize for correction, or to hesitate in offering correction?
  3. Where in the passage do you see warning when it comes to correction? Where do you see wisdom in correcting?
  4. How is the judgment that fell on Jesus rather than us meant to renovate our impulses either toward self-righteous delight in correcting others, or fearful avoidance of correcting others?

Quotes:

  • Everybody wants to know the truth, but nobody wants to hear it….everyone wants to be heard, when no one has asked for advice. - T Bone Burnett
  • Conviction without experience makes for harshness. - Flannery O’Connor
  • Discipleship does not afford us a point of vantage from which to attack others; we come to them with an unconditional offer of fellowship, with the single-mindedness of the love of Jesus. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
  • What precisely is profound in Christianity is that Christ is both our atoner and our judge, not that one is our atoner and another our judge, for then we would nevertheless come to be judged, but that the atoner and the judge are the same. - Søren Kierkegaard
  • One should not always throw the cloak over a brother’s faults. One must not be meekly charitable against all reason. - Dale Allison